William Coats of South Carolina

The ancestry of William Coats of South Carolina not been
determined at this time, but it is known that he was born in South Carolina. One of
the difficulties in tracing his line is the fact that there were at least 17 William
Coats' living in the colonies around that time. Linda Coate did quite a bit of
research on them.

My fifth cousin, Charlotte Coats, has done extensive research on
earlier generations that may be related to this line.

The photographs are of Wilson and Mary Phillips Coats of generation four below.

Generation One (Tentative)

COATS, Charles b ca. 1714

m ca. 1734 Sophia

Charles

William b bef 1740

James b ca. 1753

Notely b ca. 1755

This generation is tentative until additional documentation is found to support it.
What is known is that Charles had a son William, a wife Sophia and land in Frederick County Maryland as
detailed in a 14 Aug 1761 deed.
Charles is listed in the
1776 Census
as 62, without a wife, but with two sons James and Notely. Another possible son would be Charles.
There is a Charles Coats on a
1757 Muster Roll
that could be the son of Charles as the elder Charles would have been about 44 at the time.

Given the span of time between William and James it may be the case that Sophia was Charles second wife.
If other children are found to fill the gap, it would be likely that she was the only wife.

At some point William moved to Sumner County, Tennessee for he was married there in
1791. Other records indicate that William was in Smith County. As Smith
County was created out of Sumner County on 26 Oct 1799, it may be that William and
his family lived in the portion of Sumner County that became Smith County.

In 1817, the family moved to what became known as Coats' Prairie in Callaway County,
Missouri. William farmed for a living, but his avocation was as a Baptist
minister. He became the minister for the people around Coats' Prairie and organized
most of the Baptist churches in the region.

On 1 May 1849, after having caught "gold fever", Wilson, his son Felix, and
two nephews made their way overland to California. It took them about five months to
make the trip.
In January of 1851, Wilson returned to Missouri via the Isthmus of Panama to bring the family back to California.
When they arrived, they first tried to settle in Santa Clara County.
Finding the land in the area taken up by Spanish land grants, they next
traveled to Contra Costa County and camped near what is now Danville. They finally
took up a homestead of 160 acres in Tassajara Valley, which was just to the North.
They continued to live there until their deaths. At one time, Wilson was
an associate judge in Contra Costa County.

The parents and children's names and birth dates appear in a bible in the possession of
Marcia Sonnenberg. The
daughter Mary most likely died young. Her name does not appear in the 1850
census with the rest of the younger children when she would have been six.

After coming to California with his father and brother, Milam, who was a
physician, practiced in Pleasonton. The family returned to Missouri in 1852 where Milam
died five years later according to a Contra Costa County history.

Susan returned to Sutter County, California and married Daniel O'Banion.
In the 1900 census Susan said she was the mother of four with two living.
It doesn't appear that she had any children with Daniel.

As mentioned above, Felix came to California in 1849. After a few years at gold
mining, he homesteaded 160 acres next to his father's in 1851, eventually enlarging it to 550
acres which was used to grow grain and raise cattle.
At one point, Felix acted as a school trustee. In 1915, Felix dictated his
memories of his trip to California and his early days there.

An 1880 U. S. census record lists Felix Coats, Leona and
their children (except Jennie who hadn't been born) living in Green Valley,
Contra Costa County. Felix occupation was as a farmer. Also in the
household was Leona's mother Elizabeth Daggett [sic] aged 61.

Felix and Leona are buried in Section G of the
Dublin Pioneer Cemetery, Dublin, California.
The birth and death dates are from the grave stones. Felix is described as 6 feet tall, with light
blue eyes and gray hair in the 1892 voter registration for Contra Costa County.
At least two biographies of Felix Grundy have been written:
one in 1882 and
another in 1904.

For an extensive genealogy of the Doggett line see Jim Doggett's page.
He has additional information on Leona's ancestry which he doesn't have online at this point.

William came to California with his father and brother
Felix in 1849. William had moved to Inyo County by 1880 as he appears in
the census for Bishops Creek, Inyo County in the household of Schuyler Williams.
He gave his occupation as prospector. In the 1900 census, William was
living with his brother Lemuel in the same county.
There are three public land records for him in the county: two in 1891 and one
in 1896. After prospecting, William pursued sheep ranching. It doesn't appear that he
married.

William is buried in the West Line Cemetery, Bishop, California.
An obituary appeared for him in the Inyo Register on 22 Mar 1917.

John and Susan's birth and death dates are from their
gravestones in the Middletown Cemetery, Middletown, California. John came
to California with his family in 1849 or a year or two afterwards.

An 1880 U. S. census record lists a J. R. Coats age 47 and
wife Susan age 30 living in Sycamore, Contra Costa County. John's
occupation was as a Butcher. Their children were Etta aged 13, Russell
aged 11, Fannie aged 9, Eddie aged 7, Willie aged 4, and Roy aged 2. A
Samuel Lyle aged 17 was listed as part of the household as a laborer.
Susan's father's birth place is given as Tennessee and her mother's as Virginia.

An 1882 voter register has him in Lake County. John's nephew Bethel
mentions visiting Middletown in 1885 and again in 1888.
John's obituary
has him living in Quicksilver when he died, which is about four
miles southwest of Middletown. The Quicksilver post office closed in 1911.
John died of pneumonia. Susan may have lived with her son William after
her husband's death. William is buried in Colma, California which is where
most San Franciscan's are buried. There are no active cemeteries in San
Francisco.

Lemeul was born in Missouri and came to California when his father brought the rest of the family. At some point afterwards, he made his way to Oregon where he married Sarah and they had their first child. Sarah was the daughter of Isaac and Cordilly (Thorton) Agee. A few years later they reunited with Lemuel's family in Contra Costa County living next to his parents. In 1880, his father was living with them so perhaps he took over his father's ranch. Wilson was 77 at the time.

It's possible that Lemuel went into business running a livery stable as an L. A. Coats was running a livery stable in the Ocean View and Yockum Ferry area of Alameda County in 1875 according to a business directory.
He is shown again in 1878, this time along with a Mr. Hewitt as his partner.

In September 1885, the family moved to Fresno.
The family photo shown below was taken there.
It's not known how long they lived there.
By 1900, they were living in Inyo County with another brother: William Lafayette Coats.
After a stay of several years, they moved one last time to Santa Monica, California, a few blocks from the beach.
After Lemuel's death, Sarah continued to live there with some of her grown children.
Others lived nearby. Lemuel and Sarah are buried in the Woodlawn Cemetery in Santa Monica.

James was a lawyer in San Francisco, California. James and Fannie
had one daughter who was killed in a street car accident in Oakland, California.
May was a school teacher. The family is buried in the Mountain View Cemetery in Oakland, California

Frances was still at home with her parents and listed as single in the 1870 census.
She is buried in Section G of the
Dublin Pioneer Cemetery, Dublin, California.
Her gravestone has a death date of 22 Dec 1870. The former is from a family bible.

Generation Six

Arthur appears in various records in Sutter, Lake, and Mendocino Counties.
In 1910 an Arthur Wilson Coats appears in the San Francisco directory.
One entry has him in real estate and another in cigars.
He is buried in the same plot as his brother, Trusten, in Yuba City.
A plaque on his stone says "My Husband". No record of a wife has been found.

William is described as 6 feet tall with blue eyes and dark hair in the 1892 voter
registration for Contra Costa County. There is a
William Coats in the 1894 Husted Directory listing William as a laborer in the
Ocean view, Yockum Ferry area of Alameda County. In 1920, William
and Catherine were living in Napa County, California.

William and Catherine are buried is St. Helena, California with some of their children and grandchildren.

Fanny was the stepdaughter of Levi Maxcy, who owned a ranch adjacent to the Coats'
place. James took over the ranch after he married Fanny. Due to his asthma,
James had to give up ranching and became a government gauger (of distilled spirits).
James is described as 6 feet tall with blue eyes and light hair in the 1892 voter
registration for Contra Costa County.
According to his brother Bethel,
James entered the University of the Pacific in 1884 and graduated in 1887. At
that time, it was known as California Wesleyan College and was located in San Jose.
James is buried in Section G of the Dublin Pioneer Cemetery.

Bethel most likely took his entire primary education at the original Tassajara School.
While at the school, Bethel started a journal.
His first entry was about the school. He graduated in 1885 and started attending Livermore College the next year.

Phoebe's family moved to the county in 1887 at which time
Phoebe started attending the Tassajara school. Bethel had already
graduated, but may have met her there through his sisters who were still
attending or at the school dance at the new school house in 1889 which he took
the trouble to record in his journal. He certainly would have met her when
he worked for her father in October of that year.

Bethel took over his father's ranch which he increased to 1200 acres and ran it off and
on. He would sometimes rent out the ranch to others.
For example, from an 1896 journal entry: "Rented our place
to Ella and Charley Worth in the fall and went to the coast for a year or more"

Before and after he married, Bethel liked to travel. Here's an entry from his journal for 1901:

Got a wagon and started out camping with whole family, Eunice, Bernice & Doris.
Started July 1st, back Oct. 1st. Went through Santa Rosa, Geysers,
Lake County, Adams Springs, Sacramento, Lake Tahoe, Mercers Cave, and Big Trees
of Calaveras Grove.

That's a good part of Northern California by wagon!
The next year they covered a good part of Southern California in the same manner.

Went camping in the fall. Started Sept. 27th, got back Nov. 13th
and visited Watsonville, San Simeon, Kings County, Fresno County, Madera County.

Two years later they went to the World's fair:

Phoebe and I went to the Worlds Fair [in St. Louis]. Started Sept. 30th
and got back Jan 29th 1905. Stopped in Los Angeles, San Luis Obispo,
Watsonville and Livermore.

In 1906, Bethel bought a house in San Jose and moved the
family there so that the girls (pictured above) could get a better education.
Having three children didn't stop them from traveling.
In 1907 they took a six week trip to Yosemite and San Simeon, which
was recorded by Phoebe's cousin Margaret.
Two years later, they sold their first house and bought another one in the same city.
In 1912, they bought a candy store, which they ran for about three years.
Bethel also kept an orchard for about four years.

When their children had grown, Bethel and Phoebe returned
to the ranch in Tassajara. Bethel died in 1951. Phoebe continued
living there for a few years before moving back to San Joes to live with her
daughter Eunice in San Jose until she died in 1962 at the age of 89. She wrote a
diary later in life.
While the ranch is largely intact under the current owner, all the original ranch
buildings are gone as can be seen in there current photographs.

Bethel and Phoebe are buried in Section F of the
Dublin Pioneer Cemetery, Dublin, California.
The birth and death dates are from the grave stones.
Bethel is described as 5 feet 11 inches tall with gray eyes and brown hair in the 1892 voter registration for Contra Costa County.
A biography of Bethel was written in 1926.

May got her early schooling at the original Tassajara school.
According to her brother, Bethel,
May started attending the University of the Pacific in January 1897.
The university was located in San Jose at that time.

In 1910, the family lived in Contra Costa County where Marion farmed. The children's birth
dates are from that census. Both were baptized into the Presbyterian
Church in Livermore on 11 Apr 1909. Those records are the source for their middle names.

After Marion's death, May continued to live in San Francisco working as a sales clerk.
At one point, she worked at Emporium. In 1940, she was living with her brother Bethel at the ranch.

Along with her siblings, Jennie attended the original
Tassajara school. She and her sister May started attending the
University of the Pacific in January 1897. Thomas was a San Francisco
police officer for over twenty years. They lived at 1264 13th Avenue in
San Francisco among other locations in the city.
The 1920 and 1930 census showed no children. Tom's death is recorded in Phoebe Coats diary.
Jennie moved to the Friedlan Rest Home two weeks later.

Etta and William's birth and death dates and locations are
from the California Death Index. Their marriage is listed in the Lake
County marriage book 2, page 249. Before their marriage, William was a
clerk living in Lake County (1880 census). By 1910 the family had moved to
Washington. That year they lived on a farm in Snohomish County. Ten
years later William was a Bookkeeper in Tacoma. In 1930, they appear in
Seattle where William was a merchant in books and stationary. Genevieve was
with her parents in 1910 but not in 1920.

Edmund and Clydia birth and death dates are from their
gravestones. Edmund's is in the Hartley Cemetery and Clydia's in the
Middleton Cemetery, both in Lake County, California. Their marriage is
from Lake County marriage book 4, page 116.

The 1900 census shows Edmund as a miner in Lake County.
The 1910 census shows him following the same occupation in Grass Valley County,
California. No children appear in either census.

William and Maud's marriage is listed in the Lake County
marriage book 3, page 418. The 1910 census finds the family in San
Francisco where William was a teamster. Both Bernice and Preston were
still at home. In 1920 he was a watchman at an iron works with the family
still intact. In 1930 he was a shop man for the Street Railway. By
this time, Bernice had moved out. Preston was still with them.

A Roy Coats is listed as the son of John in the 1880
census. The full name is from a photograph of him. He went by Leroy
in the 1900 census records. Leroy and Leta were still living in Lake
County at that time. The census records them as being married less than
one year. Leroy was working as a miner. By 1920 Leta and Leroy were
divorced with Leta and her son living in San Francisco. She worked as a
milliner. They lived at 229 24th Street.

Roy moved to San Mateo and worked at various jobs.
He joined the Christian Science church where he became First Reader.
There, he met his second wife, who was the Second Reader.
He adopted Alice's youngest daughter: Carol.
In 1930, after Carol graduated from high school, the family moved to New Orleans.
Roy became a Christian Science teacher and denominational spokesman for Louisiana.
He's listed as a Christian Science practitioner in several New Orleans city directories

Zoe's birth and death dates and death
location are from the California Death Index. It is assumed she never
married given she is listed by her maiden name in the index.
She is listed in the 1900 census as living with her sister Etta in Washington.
In the 1920 census she was living in San Francisco and worked as a pharmacist.
Ten years later, she was following the same occupation in Fresno, California.
In both census, she is listed as single.

In 1910, Grover and Lillia where living in San Francisco.
Grover had just joined the police force two years earlier. In 1917, he was
promoted to corporal, in 1921 to sergeant, and in 1924 to lieutenant. The
1930 census find Grover divorced and one of many lodgers at 456 Post Street.
In 1933, Grover was promoted to Captain.

Cecil's birth and death dates and death location are from
the California death index. In 1920, the family was living in Seattle,
Washington (1920 census). Cecil was a salesman and Audrey was in
advertising. The birth states for Cecil's parents in this record are the
same ones used by all the children. According to the 1930 census Cecil had
remarried and was living at 508 North G Street in Madera, California where Cecil
worked as a salesman for a pipe company. The second wife's name is a best
guess from the 1930 census. It may be an abbreviation. The record
also indicates that Cecil was a veteran, most likely from World War I.

Frank is listed as James F. in some places and Frank J. in others.
Frank was the only one of his siblings born in Oregon.
Shortly after his birth, the family moved to Contra Costa County in California where they lived for about 15 years.
In 1900, he and his brother John were listed as lodgers in Benton, Mono County, California where they worked as cattle herders. They were also listed in the same census with their parents in Bishop.
Ten years later, he was living with his parents in Santa Monica, California. He continued to do so for at least ten years. In 1922, Frank and his sister, Mary, were sharing a residence very near their mother and then several blocks away in 1925. Frank worked as a house mover. No records have been found for him after 1925.

Edna was born in Contra Costa County after her parents moved there from Oregon. From there she moved with the family to Inyo County by 1900 and then to Santa Monica by 1910. In 1922, she was living on her own in the same city and was employed as a nurse. She moved to Pasadena in the early 1930's and finally settled at 10036 Breidt Ave, Los Angles at least until 1954.

Charles was born on his parent's farm in Alameda County, California. By 1900, his family had moved to Bishop, but he remained behind and was living with his cousin Bethel
in Contra Costa County, California. Charles then followed his family to Bishop. After only a few years, Charles moved to Visalia in Tulare County where he worked as a house painter. There he married Mary prior to 1910.

Mary was born in Kentucky to William and Nacissa (Watkins) Goins. Her mother died in 1899 in Kentucky. After about a year, her family moved to Visalia, possibly following her eldest brother Christopher Columbus Goins.

They then moved to Santa Monica, in Los Angeles County where they were living with his parents in 1918. He was employed as a farm laborer. They continued to live there for several years. By 1924, they moved to 1452 1/2 Third Street, Santa Monica where they lived until Charles' death. Charles returned to working as a house painter and Mary became hotel manager of The Donald. After Charles' death, Mary moved next door to her sister-in-law Edna.

John was born in Contra Costa County and moved several times with his parents and siblings. He was in Bishop, Inyo County in 1900. John then moved with his parents to Santa Monica between 1904 and 1910. He finally returned to Bishop. He is mentioned in his uncle's obituary as living in there in 1917. John was a farmer.

Dora is the daughter of James and Addie S. Chamberlain. She first married Edgar Ray Yaney in 1898. They had a daughter, Elma Rae, in 1899. Edgar died in 1907 and is buried in the West Line cemetery. Elma married a William Archer Crosby. She is buried in the same cemetery.

Thomas was the youngest son in the family. While still very young, he moved with his family to Fresno, Bishop, and finally Santa Monica. When he registered for the draft, he was living in Taft in Kern County working in oil well drilling. By 1930, he was living back in Los Angeles County in the city of Signal Hill following the same profession. It's most likely he moved back to Bishop at some point as he is buried there in the West Line Cemetery.

Annie was born in Contra Costa County and moved with her family to Fresno, Bishop, and then Santa Monica. In 1910 she married Elmer and they lived in South Pasadena. They lived there at least until 1916. By 1920, she and her children were living with her mother. She died two years later of influenza. At the time, she was living with her husband at 1740 22nd Street In 1924, Elmer was living several blocks away.

George died at 14. Charles was working as a groom and living at a riding academy in 1930. He appears to have remained in Los Angeles as he died there in 1970. No additional information has been found for him.

Mary and Clive lived in various locations in Sutter County after their marriage until their deaths. Clive wan an assessor for the State Board of Equalization. No records have been found for any children.

Wilson had a cattle ranch in the old town of Niles, which is now part of Fremont, California.
He first showed up there in 1904, but was back with his parents in 1910. From 1914 to 1930, he appears in the voter rolls for Niles as a Republican. It was presumably on his ranch where he was thrown from a horse that ultimately resulted in his death. He buried with his parents in St. Helena, California. Wilson never married.

Joe and Florence's birth and death dates are from the California Death Index and the marriage from the Contra Costa Marriage Book. Joe is mentioned in Phoebe Coats' diary. His middle name is from his WW1 draft card. Joe and Florence are buried in the Dublin cemetery with many Coats relatives.

The 1920 census has Bernice living at the Stanford University on Clay Street in San Francisco. This would have been the nursing school. The 1930 census describes Bernice as a graduate nurse (R.N?) at a doctor's office and living on California Street, San Francisco. Both census records have her single. After marrying the couple move to Sausalito in Marin County.

Archibald
(Archie) was a butcher. He served in the United States Navy during World War I. Both Bernice and Archie are buried at the Golden Gate National Cemetery in San Bruno, California. Bernice was known as Bunny to her family.

California Death Index 1930-1939
"Shepherd George A - 1 15 - 70 - 5 28 34 - 34 - - 26390"
15 is the age, 70 is for Los Angeles County, and 26390 the file number
The file number was very difficult to read. The last digit may be an 8.

The birth date is from a bible record.
The location is based on the census records.

John Russell Coats, an aged and highly respected resident of this vicinity, died at the family home
at Quicksilver after an illness of only a few days' duration. Deceased was a
native of Missouri, aged 71 years, 6 months and 1 day. He was one of the
earliest settlers in this section and one time was an extensive property owner
hereabout.

Clear Lake Press, 19 November 1904

Paid Nature's Last Debt
Well Known Citizens of Ripe Years Pass Into Eternity
William L.[Lafayette] Coats

William Coats, died at the Elmhurst Sanitarium Monday night about 8 o'clock.
He was stricken by paralysis recently, and had been in the sanitarium since the
early part of last week.

Mr. Coats came to California in 1850, with an ox team,
by way of El Paso. Tuolumne county, Mariposa and Solano County were among
his places of residence in the State. It is
understood he was Sheriff of one of the mid-California counties at one time.
He lived here for thirty years or more, and made
sheep-raising his business during part of that time.

He was at one time the owner of mountain lands now including Andrews Camp.
During that period some damage was done to the property by high water, and the
suit he brought against the Hillside Water Company for
damages, alleging the bursting of the company's dam at
South Lake, and was a case of great local interest at the time.

So far as positively known here, he is survived by but one brother, Lemuel L.[should
be A] Coats, of Santa Monica, father of John P. Coats, of Bishop.
His age is stated to have been 86 years, 2 months, 23
days.